Wellcome Trust launches £200m investment business for healthcare and life sciences

Published: 20-Mar-2012

Will provide start-ups with the support they need to reach their full potential


The Wellcome Trust is creating a £200m fund to make long-term investments in start-up biotechnology businesses in the healthcare and life sciences sectors.

The primary goal is to generate ‘excellent returns’ for the Wellcome Trust, to help it fund further biomedical research, but the new venture will also provide emerging businesses in the healthcare sector with a valuable new source of funding and guidance. This will help them to turn advances in the life sciences into diagnostics and therapies to improve patient care.

Currently operating under the working title Project Sigma, the business will be chaired by Nigel Keen, founder of Deltex Medical, with Martin Murphy, a former partner at MVM Life Science Partners, as chief executive.

Sir Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: ‘The Wellcome Trust is known as an investor that takes a long-term view. Sigma will extend this successful approach to direct investments in emerging healthcare technologies, to give small and medium-sized companies the support they require to fulfill their potential.

Glyn Edwards, interim chief executive of the BioIndustry Association, added: ‘The Wellcome Trust's decision to launch a fund focused on long-term investment in biotechnology start-ups should provide a significant boost to companies developing new medicines. Given the time required to bring innovative healthcare developments to market, it is especially pleasing to see that the fund will take a long term view and provide companies with the support they need to reach their full potential.’

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